Christmas Baking

Friday the 14th was spent at the grocery store with my mom, picking up everything I need.  I didn't even know what I had in the cupboards or pantry as far as supplies were concerned so I picked up what I thought I needed.  I did pretty good, except after buying a bag of brown sugar, I realized that I already had two unopened bags and another half bag.  That night I made some candy dipped pretzel rods.


The entire weekend of the 15th and 16th was spent baking, with just enough time to sit down in front of the TV and catch a Vikings win.  I enjoy baking and I always have grand plans but that's all they stay as, plans...grand plans that are never carried out.  Instead, I was looking through cookie recipe books on Saturday morning looking for what I can make since I still didn't have a plan.  I think I did alright though.

I made sugar cookies with candy bits, cinnamon snaps, two sets of meringues; one vanilla, one maple, chewy brownie cookies, butter mint cookies and Oreo truffles.  I packaged up one of each treat for my team at work and our potluck the next day.

Delicious and easy Oreo truffles

By the end of the weekend, the kitchen was a mess.  Unfortunately, I'm not the type of person who cleans as they go.  I'm the person who piles up everything and takes care of it in one headache-y mess later.  

Here's some pictures of the cookie plate and platter I took to my Christmas gatherings.  To my BIL, I'm sorry I didn't make the cookie dough truffles for you this year!

Did you bake for the holiday season?

December Conscious Box

Again, I loved this month's Conscious Box and it is by far my favorite monthly subscription out there.  I just signed up to receive another three month's worth and I really look forward to receiving them monthly.

Here's what I got this month:

Here's the packing list of the items I received and I put the items I'm particularly looking forward to using in red.

7th Heaven Naturals
We know how stressful the holidays can be—so we're throwing in a mud mask as a bonus just for you! Take some time for yourself :) because sweat, grime, pollutants, and cosmetics can do a number on your skin if it isn’t treated right. That’s why we’re so excited to introduce 7th Heaven Naturals—a natural skin revitalizer that uses the power of organic ingredients like Aloe Vera, Ginseng, and Witch Hazel in combination with nutrient dense mud. It’s a super-hero for wonderful skin :)

18 Rabbits
There’s a lot of good granola out there. This month, we’ve found some of the best. Gracious Granola by 18 Rabbits is certified organic and made with crunchy pecans, almonds, maple, and just a hint of coconut. Try it atop you morning yogurt or with a few berries for a tasty morning creation!

Truebar
When's the last time you had a snack bar that has nothing to hide? These delicious GMO-free, dairy-free, and gluten-free snack bars are great sources of fiber and Omega 3! Bakery On Main is pumping out delicious batches of Truebar just down the street from the original bakery.

Beanfields Snacks
Looking for a gluten-free, non-GMO, corn-free alternative to those plain old potato chips? Discover Beanfields, the company that’s taken a classic snack and turned it into something much more wholesome and nutritious. How wholesome? These bean chips are free of every one of the FDA's eight most common ingredients that trigger food allergies. Enjoy with a big bowl of salsa, guacamole, or anything else!

Conscious Ink
Spread love and consciousness everywhere you go. Conscious Ink creates quality temporary tattoos (not the ones you’ll find in a Cracker Jack box) to encourage the solidifying of intentions and affirming positivemessages. Each tattoo is a unique and original piece of artwork designed to convey that specific message—wear it proudly!

EBOOST
EBOOST is out to energize and vitalize your body without torturing your adrenal glands. Add a packet to water, blend, and enjoy the effervescent energy boost, packed with vitamins C, D and B-12 and powered by green tea extract! The perfect alternative to energy drinks (and boy is it healthier!)

Episencial
Perfect for sensitive skins, Episencial comes pediatrician recommended as a natural foundation for creating safe, healthy products designed to optimize your child’s health. With natural, extra gentle scrubs like Playful Wash and comforting, balancing lotions like Soothing Cream, it’s easy to care for your child’s skin with wonder of harsh ingredients or fear of effectiveness!

Lemi Shine

Lemi Shine is out to beat tough grime and grease without harsh chemical additives. Since 1994, the inventor behind the product has worked to make it easier to clean our pots, pans, dishes and utensils in a more earth friendly way. Start making your household more safe and sustainable today!

NurturMe
NurturMe may be for infants and toddlers, but organic dried fruits and veggies are great for everyone! For the parents, this is an easy to prepare, easy to carry, and easy to feed meal to your growing children (did we mention it’s also easy on the environment?). For those of us without kids, it’s a fun way to get back to our younger years! Who doesn’t love baby food? :)

St. Claire's Organics
We love St. Claire’s Organics and their scrumptious candies, mints and pastilles! Try this invigorated Ginger Sweets Tin—made with organic molasses and ginger root, free of GMOs, wheat, gluten, nuts, and artificial colorings or flavorings. 100% pure and perfect for a pungent, gingery settling of the stomach!

Avalon Organics

Certified organic by Vermont Organic Farmers, Avalon Organic’s Soothing Vanilla Rosemary Lip Balms is truly bliss for your chapped or dry lips. A blend of organic coconut and olive oils is combined with Shea butter and beeswax, then gets a never-too-sweet dose of stevia and Rosemary to help soothe. Packed with vitamin E, this is the perfect lip balm heading into cold months!

Divine Chocolate
This Christmas is made a bit more divine with Divine Chocolates. We’ve sampled a few ourselves, and we love breaking into this fair trade chocolate bar, uniquely combined with spiced cookies. Perfect for the holiday flavor, just one square of this bar with have you clamoring for the rest!

Eden Allure

Argan oil has proven to be one of the most effective oils to combat improve the health of skin, hair, or nails, no matter ones age. EdenAllure brings this extraordinary Ayurvedic oil right to our doorsteps—perfect for adding radiant shine and nourishment without an oily residue. Contains one simple ingredient: 100% pure Argan oil from Morocco.

Weleda

We’ve quickly becomes fans of Weleda, and this Pomegranate Firming Eye Cream is one reason why. Loaded with antioxidants, pomegranate seed oil, macadamia nut oil, and organic sunflower extract, Weleda helps you fight wrinkles naturally. No synthetic preservatives, fragrances, or colorants.

I ♥ Free

Remember the fancy blender I bought as a birthday present to myself?  One of the accessories to the blender is a larger capacity jar called the Wildside, which holds 88 oz vs the 4 sided jar I have now which holds 64 oz.  This baby retails for $99 and every once in a while, you see a deal for $20 off.  Well, due to another blender competitor (ahem, Vitamix) using patented Blendtec technology in their design, the courts ruled in favor of Blendtec to the tune of $11 million.  To celebrate, they gave away $1 million worth of Wildside jars to those were already registered owners of the blender.  Fortunately I was and I put in my request immediately and a few weeks later arrived my Wildside jar for FREE.  

So Proud!

This is truly one of the highlights of my year.  After giving a donation to the Animal Humane Society, they sent me a thank you email and a link to this!

This was on their Facebook page too!  Theodora had been at the Animal Humane Society in Woodbury for one month.  She was given a bath on December 14th and because of me, she was adopted that day!  

If you get a chance and are feeling generous this holiday season, please consider giving to the Animal Humane Society so they can make their year end goal.  If you can't give right now, consider donating to me for the Walk for Animals next Spring!

Vikings vs. Bears

M and I went to see the Vikings play the Chicago Bears on Sunday, December 9th.  Due to a bye and two weeks the Vikings were on the road, we hadn't attended a Vikings game since November 11th, the Cherrie Jones Tailgate Party.

We knew snow was coming that weekend and we decided to see what we woke up with.  We probably had 6 inches so in lieu of tailgating, we shoveled the driveway instead.  After a quick shower and no makeup, we headed out to the game.  It wasn't the best conditions driving there but fortunately, we were able to find a pretty good spot on the street.  Prepared in our boots and other winter gear, we took our time walking to the dome, frolicking in the snow and admiring the beauty of the new and continuing snowfall.

Remember the alien that M received as a gift?  He came to life that day and made his Vikings game day debut.  Well, at least he hung out with us for the car ride and quick picture.  His name is Frank, a brother of the original, Fred. 

The dome was sold out, something that we were able to say each and every game for about 10 years prior to this year.  It wouldn't have been sold out if it weren't for those pesky Bears fans.  I bet 30% of the crowd was Bears fans. 

Adrian Peterson started the game on the very first play with a 51 yard gain. The Vikings dominated the first quarter with two Adrian Peterson touchdowns making the score 14-0, the second one thanks to an interception by rookie Josh Robinson which was a 49 yard run originally ruled as a touchdown but was called back and ended up on the 5 yard line after a challenge due to Robinson stepping out of bounds.  AP would have 154 yards by the end of the game.  Rookie safety Harrison Smith intercepted (Smokin') Jay Cutler for a 56 yard pick six!  Vikings win 21-14.  As a coach, it was Leslie Frazier's FIRST time winning against Chicago.  Oh, I should mention that Christian Ponder was there too.  He had an impressive 17 attempts, of which 11 he completed for 91 yards plus an interception.

We were able to get out of Minneapolis pretty quickly despite the heavy snow covering our car. We drove back into our driveway, which looked like it hadn't been shoveled at all.  By the end of the weekend, we had 16 inches of snow at our house. 



Perfect snowflake placement under my nose, right?

 



Work Holiday Party

My employer's holiday party was held on Friday, December 7th.  This year, we went to the Chanhassen Dinner Theatre for drinks, dinner and a musical called Our Hometown Christmas Pageant. 

It started snowing in the late afternoon so driving to Chanhassen was a little difficult.  M met me at work and we went right from my work since it's only 15-20 minutes from there.  We got there on time but there were plenty of people that were late due to the weather and traffic.

We had some drinks and appetizers first and then right at 6 pm, we sat down for dinner.  We were served a salad with balsamic vinaigrette and then had the option to order the following; chicken breast stuffed with wild rice, prime rib with shrimp, sea bass or vegetarian pasta.  For dessert, we had the choice of salted caramel cheesecake or triple chocolate cake.  Yum!

Our COO talked a little bit about how great of a year the company has had and then drew names for some prizes.  I didn't win.

We didn't have much time to mingle before we headed to one of the theatres for our musical.  My company had the entire theatre to ourselves, which made it a little more fun as well as we were able to bring our drinks in there. 

The musical was cute and sometimes funny but it was cheesy too.  It was pretty much as I expected it to be. There were a couple really good singers in the musical as well.  I most definitely would have taken photos but it was not allowed.

One of the things I like about my employer is that there is always a lot of thought put into the annual holiday party.  I've always enjoyed myself each year (sometimes a little too much) and I like that we do something different each year.  I'm really glad I had a chance to go to Chanhassen Dinner Theatre and it's always better when someone foots the bill as well!

Does your company/employer have an annual holiday party?  Do you attend?

Ugly Sweater Party

We had an ugly sweater party/contest at work on Thursday, December 6th.  Before we had our contest, we had Pizza Luce for lunch, which was awesome since they ordered vegan pizza from there as well.  There were about 15 of us who entered the contest, mostly girls but a couple of guys too.  The guys had on women's sweaters which made it even funnier.  There were three people that won, both guys and a girl. 

Here are the winning sweaters:

 

Here are some sweaters that I saw at Saver's and Goodwill.  I decided to go with the third one shown but in hindsight, I think I should have gone with the scary Santa Claus faces.  I think the gauge of what constitutes as an ugly holiday sweater is if people use the word "hideous" to describe it.  Multiple people described mine as that and others described their own sweaters that way.  You know you're disgusted when you use the word hideous.

After the eating, contest and fun, we did some good for this world.  We put together activities packets and tie blankets for patients and family members and breakfast bags for patients going through chemo and other treatments.  I personally chose to put together the breakfast bags for chemo patients.  That one had the most personal effect on me as I remember sitting with my dad during his first chemo treatment.  It's a long few hours to have to sit there and with everything being pumped in you, you want to eat and drink a little while you're sitting there.

Did any of you or will you attend an ugly sweater party this year?  We were going to do it for my immediate family Christmas but decided against it.  Those ugly sweaters are expensive if you don't already have one.

P.S. I've turned off the word verification for comments.  I've heard from several of you that it's so hard to comment because you can't read the words.  I've turned off the verifications before and immediately I start getting spam so we'll so how it goes this time.  I'd love to hear your comments so I hope I've made it easier for you! 

Johnny's Benefit

Saturday, December 1st was M's cousin Johnny's benefit.  It was held at the Coliseum in Hastings.  Johnny unexpectedly had quadruple bypass surgery and medical bills which left him out of work for months and his motorcycle club put on a benefit for him.

There was food, music, silent auctions and raffles.  It was fun to see family and some friends we don't see very often.  Considering that he was still recovering, I was surprised to see that Johnny and Marcia made it to my dad's benefit in September, so the least I could do is show up to his.  I hope you raised a lot of money for those bills, Johnny.  Hope you're feeling good!

Christmas Shopping

Are you all done with your Christmas shopping yet?  I can say that I'm officially done after this morning.  Now I'm just left to wrap about 10 items and then I can relax.

Friday, November 30th, my mom and I went to the cemetery to put up a cross for my dad.  He's on a slight incline and without the proper tools, we had a heck of a time getting the stand in the ground but with some improvised tools from my trunk, it's in and after visiting again a week later and it was still up so we must have done something right.

There was a big buck about 50 feet away from us and we were so concentrated on him that less than 20 feet away from us was another buck just staring at us.  Then a doe walked out behind him.  I tried to get my camera for the closest pair but they were spooked and ran away, running fast through the cemetery.

I can't say where we went all day because we were mostly shopping for my sister and she reads my blog but we went everywhere.  We were out for 11 hours which included lunch at Arby's.  We were both exhausted but after I dropped off my mom, I went back out again and went back to multiple stores where we had just been and where she commented on some things she liked. I bought some stuff for her and it felt good to get my mom done. 

What do you prefer at this time of year...shopping online or in-person?

Alpha Gang HH

I hadn't met with the Alphabet Gang since before June.  The day we were scheduled to meet in June, my dad told me of his diagnosis.  I couldn't meet in September either due to benefit planning.  Aaron, Carrie, Catha and Tiffany all came to the benefit and each and every one of the gang came to my dad's memorial service.  I'm so thankful to have these guys as friends.

Tuesday, November 27th, we met at the original Green Mill location on Hamline and Grand Avenue in St. Paul.  This was my first time (besides Madonna with Tanya) that I hung out with any of my friends since my dad passed away.  While it might seem like I'm out and about, I'm not really and spend quite a bit of time at home.

Meeting with the group felt good but I felt a little withdrawn.  It didn't help that I showed up late because I couldn't get out of work so I felt a little out of sync with conversations and what had already been talked about.  I'm glad I got out though.

I've had some invitations from some of you friends and I've declined when I may have taken you up in the past.  Please don't take it personally.  I haven't read your blogs and commented and I probably haven't responded to your email or Facebook message.  I'm just slowly making my way back into my social schedule. I'm getting there and will be ready for all of that soon.  I know I've talked a lot about my dad and so many unfortunate events in life for the past couple of months and I'm sorry if my tone is negative or if I'm a Debbie Downer/Negative Nelly.  I don't mean for it to be but my dad's death is a life consuming thing for me right now.  

I didn't get any pictures of the group because I didn't make any effort to.  I did take a picture of the sign when I left though.

Thanksgiving

As we're on our way to Christmas, I'm talking about Thanksgiving.  Bare with me peeps, I'm really starting to get caught up.  M and I started Thanksgiving at his brother's house in River Falls, Wisconsin.  I think this was only the second time that M and I have spent a Thanksgiving together.  We've never been able to coordinate our family holiday schedules, most often because they always start at the same time or they are too far away from each other.  It bothers me we don't spend each holiday together but I guess I'm used to it.  We ate dinner there and I tried to be modest in my portions so I could save room for another plate later at my aunt's house.  We watched football, had some wine, yummy food and good company.  We only stayed about two hours before heading to my aunt's house.

My side of the family's Thanksgiving was also in Wisconsin.  We arrived at my aunt's house around 4 pm at exactly the time they were eating.  I was still full from the first meal a couple hours earlier that I really couldn't eat anymore.  I did bring a pie to my aunt's house.  I made a cranberry meringue pie.  After taking a small piece, it was just too sweet for me.  I received many compliments though on how good the crust was.  It tasted like a sugar cookie.  My cousin made an apple pie moonshine drink that is all the rage right now and it was so delicious.  Maybe not as delicious as the mulled wine that my other cousin brought.  I drank multiple mugs.

My nephew Keith made me a paper turkey and also some sort of origami type box that had a note in it.  It said, "When I see you I see a rainbow of creativety from Keith"  I wrote it just like he did and wow, did it make my heart melt.  I love that kid so much.

So how was Thanksgiving for me without my dad there?  I was so nervous that it would be terribly sad as this is the first holiday without him.  While I of course thought of him and of course missed him, it wasn't terrible. And when I say it wasn't terrible basically just means I didn't happen to cry that day.  I think that is mostly due to the fact that Thanksgiving was different this year with me going to M's side first and then going to my aunt's.  When at my aunt's house, there were many people missing this year.  My uncle and his whole family went elsewhere this year and my other uncle as he had to work.  Without everyone, it was more of quiet subdued Thanksgiving for the adults and a crazy madhouse full of young kids.  Christmas will be a different story.

We left my aunt's house a little before 7:30 pm.  The temperature had changed the wind was whipping around heavy, wet snow flurries.  We made it home right about 8 pm just in time to see the Black Friday madness and traffic at Wal-Mart by our house.  I was so glad not have participated in Black Friday this year.

Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday but this year I didn't give thanks for anything.  I know there's plenty to be thankful for and it's not my personality not to give thanks but thoughts of my dad and why he isn't here with us overshadowed that.

 

No Real Plans

Saturday, November 17th started with a visitation/funeral as my great uncle, my grandpa's brother, passed away earlier that week from bladder cancer.  Rest in Peace, Joe. I thought I would be ok in that setting but realized very quickly that I wasn't.  Everything was still too fresh.  We only stayed for the visitation and then since the cemetery was very close, we visited my dad too as that was M's first time seeing the headstone.

I've blogged out of order in error talking about the Cherry Jones Tailgate Party and Fuzzer but this day was the beautiful weather day that came right before the chilly day for the tailgate party.

We headed to Grand Avenue and went to Golden Fig and then to the Happy Gnome for a beer and a quick appetizer.  Upon a heavy suggestion from the girl at the Golden Fig, I bought a coconut macaroon featured there that came from Salty Tart Bakery.  She said that Andrew Zimmern raved about this treat and it's one of his favorites.  After eating it later that night, holy wow.  Yes, it was a fantastic treat and I wish I had a box of them.  There is just something so delicious about the texture.

I just love the kind of Saturdays when there is nothing planned and you can do whatever you want.  I've definitely learned to have more of those in my life.

Cat Scratch Fever

I've never had a sick cat.  Fortunately, Fuzzer doesn't mind the car and you don't even need a carrier for him.  We put him on his leash and headed to the animal hospital that is just down the street from us on Saturday, November 10th.  They didn't do much for him other than quick check him out and assume he has a virus.  They said to give him L-Lysine which is an amino acid essential to humans.  They had cat treats you could buy there that included it so I bought some.  I said to the vet, "They're not like $20 are they?"  She said no, but she wasn't sure of the cost.  After getting rung up at the counter for the visit and the treats, I realized the cat treats weren't $20 but only $19.  Great.  They did work for Fuzzer though.  The virus he had is very contagious so Powder also got sick a few days later.  Powder wouldn't eat the treats so I had to buy the pill form at the store and the crush it up with a mortar and pestle and put it in his food.  My cats are all healthy and back to normal now but wow, I really thought each of them was on their deathbed for awhile. 

Cherrie Jones Tailgate Party

Sunday, November 11th was Veteran's Day.  It was also the day of our annual Cherrie Jones Tailgate Party and it's always against the Detroit Lions.  The weather was cold and rainy and if it was just the day before, it would have been sunny and about 60 degrees.  The Vikings Skol Line came to visit us again and we even had a visitor from Maryland. When M and I went to see the Vikings play in Jacksonville in November 2008, we met a guy who brings around a blow-up purple space alien named Fred.  It's his gimmick and he brings it to every Vikings game he attends and has even had to buy a seat for him in some stadiums. Since meeting him in 2008, we've run into/seen him probably six times. While he lives in Maryland, he travels all over the nation to see the Vikings and comes to see the Vikings in MN one or two times a year. He didn't know we were having our tailgate party that day but knew we tailgate in that lot so he found us and presented M with his very own purple space alien.

We missed out on some key people being there this year due to various reasons but we made up for it with new faces. We had more Detroit fans join our party this year as our friend Andrew is from Michigan and a big chunk of his family came out for the game. Overall, we had a huge group of 115+ people and we all enjoyed the tailgating and even the game! Vikings win 34-24 with Adrian Peterson rushing for 171 yards.   A big thank you to all my family that attended: Jamie, Tom, Dennis, Pat, Troy, Tara, Laura, Chris, John, Jen and their friends Matt and Nicole.

Sorry to those that didn't make it in the picture!